1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to means for enhancing dimensional stability in a vertical direction or other direction perpendicular to a substrate.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
In various electrical connectors particular needs require the use of relatively long beams. The physical relationship of the cross sectional area of the beam and its length will make it difficult to manage more critical dimensional tolerances. The critical dimensional tolerances in question control the inner relationship between the terminal tail, the retention feature and the contact area of the terminal. An example of such an electrical connector is a receptacle used on a single connect attach (SCA) disk drive interface.
Particularly when a soft insulating material is used in the connector housing, the connector may tend to be dimensionally deformed in the vertical direction or other dimension perpendicular to the printed circuit board (PCB) or other substrate on which the connector is being mounted. As a result of such dimensional instability it is often necessary that the housing be designed with significant additional height from the top of the terminals to the top of the housing as a safety factor.
Such lack of dimensional stability may also be important when two terminals are mated in a first mate, last brake sequence. For example, such a sequence may be employed to allow for initial grounding, particularly at low voltages, to minimize component burn out. If a connector is dimensionally unstable in the direction perpendicular to the PCB or other substrate, the correct mating and unmating sequence may be lost.
There is, therefore, a need for means for controlling dimensional stability of an electrical connector in a vertical direction or other direction perpendicular to a PCB or other substrate.